Never Tear Us Apart
by alohomorawrites
Summary: AU. The Marauders are a band that is on everybody's lips; their faces are plastered across every tragic teenage gossip magazine, stuck up on posters all around London and always on television answering those terribly fake questions on interviews. But when a prank goes wrong, all hell breaks loose. They soon discover that they need the help of a fiery young manager.


_Author's Note:_ Hey guys! I'm Maddy and I just want to say, that this is my first Marauders story and I wanted to do something a little bit different. This is set in London in the 80's where fans are practically falling over themselves to hear the music of The Marauders, a band made up of James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew who happen to find themselves in trouble and need the help of a spirited new manager. I'm up for any reviews, constructive criticism or just come and chat to me.

_Disclaimer:_ Shout out to the one and the only JKR. Also to INXS, an Australian band from the 80's that has inspired this AU story.

Reviews are even better than Ben &amp; Jerry's (and that's saying something).

Chapter 1-_"I Am Up To No Good"_

The aroma of sweat and hormones filled the large music hall. Crowds of teenagers swarmed the area, pressing up against one another, as there was barely any room to breathe. The concert had been booked out months in advance, much to the dismay of many hysterical fans who were waiting outside, hoping for a ticket. Among the excited shrieks and cries, there were hushed whispers of excitement echoing through the hall; the fans knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It certainly wasn't every day that one was able to see The Marauders live.

Blue headlights turned on, flooding the stage with light. An overexcited fan at the front of the audience started chanting "Marauders, Marauders" and soon the entire crowd was screaming it at the top of their lungs. Smoke started pouring out of the machines, creating a foggy atmosphere for the excited crowd.

Before the audience could take another breath, a figure appeared at the side of the stage and he started walking towards the drum set. Peter Pettigrew; the dynamic drum player and one of four whose famous faces were pinned up on over a thousand posters around the streets of London, waved to the audience. Twirling a drumstick, he started a beat on the drum kit. The band's sign – the stag, the dog, the wolf and the mouse lit up in a vibrant blue colour on the side of his largest drum. He started the beat off slow, but it gradually became faster.

From the other side of the stage, the lanky freckled bass guitarist Remus Lupin walked across towards his guitar. A woman screamed hysterically at the sight of him and then dramatically flopped to the ground in a dead faint. His face flushed pink and then was lit up by an almost bashful grin as he witnessed the event. He picked up the guitar, strumming chords to one of the many songs that he'd written.

There was a pause while the audience waited expectantly for the remaining members of the band to join them on stage. The pause seemed to go on for several minutes, far longer than any of the other band members were expecting. Remus quickly glanced across at Peter, a bewildered expression on his face. However they both continued playing.

Suddenly, there was a loud clang of instruments backstage and a yell, then a large frantic stag raced across the stage, being chased by a rather excitable black dog. Peter let out a yelp and glanced frantically off stage, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sirius and James or to find some sort of explanation. It nearly ended in total chaos as the stag's long legs became tangled in the cords attached to the guitars, nearly causing Remus to go flying into the audience, although luckily the creature managed to free itself and continued sprinting off the stage, followed by the barking dog. The audience stared at the scene in amazement and gradually began screaming at the top of their lungs as James Potter and Sirius Black finally joined the rest of their band onstage.

With the sharp taste of whiskey still lingering on his lips and his eyes slightly glazed from whatever the hell it was that he'd been smoking, James grinned madly at Remus and Peter. He then grabbed his guitar and started the lead guitar introduction to The Marauder's newest song 'I Am Up to No Good'. He managed all this while lingering near the front of the stage, to wink at a particularly pretty blonde standing at the front.

Running a hand through his long, unruly black hair that had made getting around London unnoticed by fans an impossible feat, Sirius Black glanced over at the rest of his band before continuing into the middle of the stage with his microphone. A cheeky smirk lingered on his lips, while he carried a large bottle of wine in the other hand. He was known for his many vices; drugs, booze, girls and constantly was photographed stumbling out of clubs looking dishevelled. He took a long swig of the bottle, the crowd cheering wildly with every gulp.

"Come over here," he said huskily into the microphone, while gazing out at the crowd in front of him. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good, darlin'" he crooned in a soulful voice that almost didn't seem as though it belonged to him. Remus closed his eyes, strumming the bass guitar in a tune that almost appeared to contrast that of the lead guitar. James' calloused fingers were playing the melody almost furiously, while his unbuttoned shirt gaped open to reveal his muscular chest. The drum sticks pounded against the drum kit, making the beat go faster and faster.

By now the music in the hall was unspeakably loud; the floorboards were practically vibrating with pulsating energy and excitement. The Marauders were casting their spell on the crowd once again.

_(Another One Bites the Dust)_

A thin man with terribly greasy looking hair paced up and down The Marauder's dressing room. His skin was usually ashen and sickly looking but now his cheeks were bright red with fury. "What the hell were you thinking?" he practically half screamed at the four boys who were lounging across one of the sofas, smoking something or another. "You brought a live stag and a bloody big dog onto the stage of one of the most famous music halls in London."

Sirius shrugged, his face scrunched up in irritation at the man's reaction. "Well, as our manager, you'd know that the audience loved it. They went wild for it," he retorted, meeting the man's eyes. Before the fuming manager could get in another word, Remus quickly interrupted.

"I think what Sirius is trying to say, is that while it wasn't initially a well thought out idea," To which James thumped Remus on the arm and Sirius rolled his eyes overdramatically, and let out a sigh for good measures. "It ended up becoming a rather clever publicity stunt," Remus finished, giving the other man a small smile in the hope of calming him down.

"It wasn't a clever idea in the slightest," the manager snapped, flaring his large hooked nose furiously at the boys. "If it was a clever idea, I would've thought of it. I, Severus Snape, am known as the best manager in all of England and undoubtedly unrivalled in my field. I tell you what publicity stunts to pull, where to go, what to wear, and you just _do_ it."

The boys glanced at one another, their expression revealing exactly what they thought of their current situation. James cleared his throat, standing to his feet with an agitated look on his face. "Look Snivellus, you've been with us from the very start. You were here when we had our first break and you've been here when we hit Number 1 in America. But you don't seem to understand something. We don't take orders from you, not now, not ever," he said calmly, with a certain edge in his tone.

"In other words, you're fired, dickhead," Sirius said sarcastically, flipping off his ex-manager rather vigorously. Remus winced at his best friend's behavior but nodded all the same. Peter quickly copied him.

Severus' mouth opened and closed several times, making him look like a rather startled goldfish. His eyes darted to each member of The Marauders in bewilderment, looking as though he could hardly comprehend the situation. He obviously hadn't expected anything like this to happen. "You'll regret this, you'll all regret this," he spat out, his hands trembling with anger. "You'll never get anyone as good as me. You'll come crawling back." With that, he stormed out of the dressing room.

There was a pregnant pause. Then James and Sirius started erupting into laughter, mimicking what Severus had just said to them. Peter started giggling along with them, his eyes shining with amusement at their imitations. It was only Remus that seemed to be fazed by what had just happened.

He raised his hands, palms facing the roof and looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head. His look seemed to say _why on earth am I in a band with such complete idiots_. Remus spun around to face his bandmates, a scowl dancing on his lips. "Do you have any idea what just happened? We don't have a manager anymore, we've lost our bloody manager." The three boys looked across at him and then dissolved into laughter once again, finding his irritation utterly hysterical. Remus glowered at them, while letting out various expletives and stormed out of the room, heading out of the building.

_(I {Quite Usually} Don't Like Mondays)_

"For the last time, I am not managing a children's band that involves a singing koala. No, I don't care how many stuffed animals said koala has managed to sell. And no, I don't really care that the band knows ten different songs about gum leaves. I'm sorry, goodbye." Lily Evans slammed down the phone, her face knit in frustration. She let out a groan, scowling at the phone as though it had personally offended her.

Being a female manager in the music industry was filled with challenges. Most of which seemed to come from children's bands that thought since she was a woman, they might have a chance with her. Not bloody likely. Despite her setbacks from misogynistic bosses and catty receptionists, Lily Evans was a dynamic young manager who was known for making her clients soar up in popularity. She wasn't afraid of a challenge, whether it came from a band with a god-awful name or in the form of someone who didn't think she could do her job. She ended up proving them all wrong, she thought proudly, accidentally bumping her large mug of tea over the new documents. Or most of them.

Suddenly her attention was piqued by the television, which was playing silently in the corner of her room. She clicked the volume on, though unfortunately, it was blaring her least favourite news program with an overdramatic newsreader whose skin was an unfortunate shade of fake orange. In the first few seconds, she managed to catch the words 'escaping stag' and 'concert chaos', four words which made her frown in confusion. What the bloody hell was going on in London?

_"__At last night's concert in the centre of London, many fans gathered to see the immensely popular band 'The Marauders'. However these fans had never in their wildest dreams expected that they would witness a complete catastrophe. A live run away stag and black dog raced across the stage in a decidedly obscure publicity stunt gone wrong and made their way through the streets of London, interrupting passers by and creating complete chaos for the citizens of the great city."_

Lily stifled a laugh, shaking her head. She could only imagine what a pain it would be to try and fix up that little stunt. Hats off to their manager. "What is it about Mondays?" she asked to herself, turning her attention back to the current predicament; attempting to desperately dry off her documents with a handful of tissues. "Is London completely mad on Mondays or something?" Her attention was quickly turned towards her receptionist, Emmeline, who appeared to be sprinting towards her door.

The dark haired young woman pushed her door open, practically gasping for breath. She appeared to be completely shocked by something. "There's someone here for you, Ms Evans," Emmeline announced, grinning almost terrifyingly at the red head. Lily stared at her receptionist, a look of confusion crossing her features at the woman's odd reaction.

"Do they have an appointment?"

"Well, no, but I think you'll want to see him all the same. Trust me, Ms Evans."

"Fine. You'd better be right, send him in."

Cursing loudly, Lily quickly attempted to tidy up her desk. Piles of documents, folders of all variety and newspaper clippings of the bands that she'd been managing covered the space on her desk. Emmeline often teased her for her ability to clean up her desk in an almost pristine manner before receiving anyone for a meeting, but as she hadn't expected any meetings today, the desk would have to remain chaotic.

"Um… Ms Evans?" A quiet voice asked, while she placed piles of documents on the ground. Surprised by the sudden noise, Lily smacked her head against the desk and let out a yelp of pain. "Oh god, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean t-," the voice trailed off, genuine fear in his tone.

"There's no harm done. I think I needed a smack on the head today anyway," she joked, rubbing her head gingerly and looking across at the man standing in her office. Her bright green eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. His face was one that everyone in the country knew well, from having it plastered across every tragic teenage gossip magazine, to the many posters advertising his band's concerts, to the ridiculously fake interviews that were always on the television. Remus Lupin, one of The Marauders was in her office.

"I'm Remus Lupin," he murmured, stretching out his hand to shake hers. Up close, he seemed like any ordinary guy. Perhaps even a little bit more shy than the average guy, but still the shock of meeting someone so well known in an abrupt manner made even the composed Lily Evans a little shocked.

"I'd be a pretty terrible manager if I haven't heard who you were, Mr Lupin," she said, taking his hand and firmly shaking it. "Please take a seat." Lily gestured to the only chair not covered in folders across from her desk.

While biting his lip in an almost nervous manner, Remus quickly took a seat. "I'll cut to the chase, Ms Evans. I need your help," he paused, clearing his throat. "Well technically, _we_ need your help, the whole band that is. We have recently… um, dismissed our manager and we are in grave need of a new one. I've done my research and it seems to be that you are one of the best managers in the country. Would you be willing to manage The Marauders?"

To render Lily Evans speechless once in one day was considered a near impossible feat. But to rendering her speechless _twice_ in a day had never been done before. She almost choked, staring at Remus with a bewildered expression on her face. What the hell was going on? He couldn't be serious. "Is this some sort of a joke?" she managed to stammer out.

"N-no, no this is not a joke at all. Ms Evans, or Lily if I may, you are considered one of the most determined and ruthless managers in the industry. You come well recommended and well… we need your help." His tone became a little more desperate. "Please. As you may have heard, we're in a bit of a trouble and could really use your expertise."

She took a deep breath, quickly analysing the situation from every angle. The Marauders, one of the most popular bands in England, if not the world, wanted her as their manager. They were known for creating chaos, as shown with that new stag and dog fiasco, but had sold over a million records. It would be a big step up from managing tiny jazz bands that only had a handful of concerts and barely sold any records. Perhaps it was the jump she needed, she'd worked so hard all her life and perhaps this was her big chance.

"Yes… okay," she said, nodding her head determinedly. "I'll do it. And please, call me Lily, Remus." Lily stood up and walked towards him, her long hair cascading down her shoulder while giving him a rare smile. "I'd like nothing more than to work alongside you and the rest of your band."

His eyes widened with surprise, a smile tugging at his lips. Remus turned to his new manager with an expression of relief on his face. "I really cannot express how grateful I am. You were the only manager that seemed like they actually cared about the band, and I- well we, could really use someone like that. We'll go through the technicalities later, but why don't you come and meet everyone? If you're not busy, that is," he babbled, almost unable to control his mouth.

Nimbly grabbing her coat from behind the door, which was needed to face the chilly London winter; Lily struggled to hold back her excitement. To show the extent of her exhilaration would be simply unprofessional. "Let's go meet the rest of The Marauders," she declared, unable to mask the eagerness of her tone or the twinkle in her eyes.

_(Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now {Except for Sirius Black} )_

Once he had his lips pressed against hers, he didn't give her any room to breathe, he kissed her hard, in a way that let her know exactly who he was and what he wanted. She ran a hand through his dark unruly hair, the sensation making him grip her tighter. The fraction between their bodies, in their hot heated kiss caused a small groan deep inside his throat.

"Time to hop, skip and jump out of here, my dear Prongs," exclaimed a loud and ever too familiar voice as he opened the door wide. Sirius stood in the doorway, attempting to stifle a laugh but failing miserably as he glanced over at the scene in his friend's hotel room. "Well that's a whole new way to be interviewed."

The interviewer let out a squeal of embarrassment, realizing that her private moment with the rock star had just become slightly less private. She launched herself away from James, quickly gathering up her clothing and putting it on before bolting out of the room. James let out a loud exaggerated sigh, mildly irritated at being interrupted. "Was that really bloody necessary?"

Sirius snickered, unaffected by the glare that was being shot his way. "Probably not, but we've got some fans who won the special 'meet The Marauders' experience who would actually like to meet some of the band."

"Shit, I completely forgot. And I don't know how, considering that I promised to sign a fit red head's tits." With that, James quickly pulled on his pants and attempted to fix up his hair. It was a fruitless task, his dark curls managed to spring back into the same mess no matter what he tried. Grabbing his leather jacket, he followed Sirius out the door towards the meeting room.

_(The Worries of Remus Lupin)_

Remus was worried. A rather natural state for an introvert who had befriended two of the most ridiculous and reckless individuals on the planet. But this time, his nervousness was increasing rapidly.

With every step that he and Lily took, heading towards the hotel room where the band had planned to meet the winners of the 'meet the Marauders experience'; the sick feeling in his stomach increased. He could rely on Peter to be at least somewhat civil and normalish, but then there was the question if Sirius and James had decided to be human beings instead of wild animals.

Usually he could give Sirius a look, and he'd understand to turn off the arrogance and the sarcasm, just for a minute. They could understand each other in that way. Knowing that he could control him for a few minutes made his nervousness ease for a moment. But then there was the problem of James. It was his natural instinct to be a total and complete prat to most people that he'd just met.

It was some sort of defence mechanism, to deflect any fake smarminess and over the top friendliness that came with the territory of being stupidly famous. Usually it worked because James had the potential of being so terribly horrible to some people. Well, at least Remus hoped it was a defence mechanism. Or perhaps he was just a jerk most of the time.

_(The Near Kiss With a Fist)_

Glancing around at the pristine marble floors and the large elegantly dressed guests that were seated in the lounge, Lily Evans felt a little out of place. Growing up in Cokeworth, a place where luxurious hotels and marble floors were only a fantasy; she wasn't quite used to the glamourous lifestyle that The Marauders had obviously become attached to. She smoothed down her skirt, cursing herself for wearing her stockings with a hole and focused her attention on not stumbling over, rather than any stares.

She didn't want to be scrutinized as some of the hotel guests were doing right now. She wasn't a piece of art; she had far more layers than just a picture. She was a person, a bloody good manager and right now, slightly overwhelmed, actually. But Lily didn't let it show, trying to climb to the top had given her many opportunities to perfect a look of casual indifference.

"We're here," Remus whispered, not wanting to jolt her out of her own thoughts. He hoped that it all wasn't too much for her, perhaps he should've offered to introduce the band on another day. He smiled at her, an attempt to make her feel a little more comfortable. Lily returned the smile, although it hadn't done much to settle her nerves. Especially as the many fans waiting for the band in the meeting room started screeching.

Remus nodded at the security guards, standing by the room that was joined to the meeting room. He gestured for Lily to follow him and she did; taking a deep breath and attempting to ignore the screaming of the fans. He was about to say something, perhaps a word of comfort or an explanation of some sort. But then he was bowled out of the way by a dark haired man who appeared to be walking backwards. Remus went flying across the room, landing on top of Peter who let out a frightened squeal at the sudden contact.

James turned around almost immediately, spinning on his heels to discover what sort of scene that he'd interrupted. To Remus' horror, he saw that his friend's dark eyes were twinkling with amusement and there was a smirk tugging at his lips. That was never, ever a good sign. Ever.

"Now that is very kind of you to escort her in, Moony. To be frank, or actually to be James, I don't know what I'd do without you," he declared, his eyes flickering over the red head's form. He grinned mischievously, taking her delicate hand in his and shaking it. "Now, I think I've got a pen on me somewhere," he said, digging in his jeans pockets until he found one. "Great, now I'll give you the special James Potter signature. It's because I like you, ginger."

In years to come, Lily would never remember exactly how she expected her first meeting with the infamous rock star to go, but whatever it had been, it was definitely nothing quite like this.

"Now, I'll get right down to signing your tits," he grinned, winking at her.

"I…" She was hardly able to string together a sentence, no response seemed adequate.

"There's no need to be shy, ginger. Soon you'll be bragging about this to all your mates."

"Bragging about this?" she echoed incredulously; finally finding her voice. Her eyes were flashing with anger, while her temper rose. "If you even _think_ about actually touching me, Potter, I will slap you so hard you forget what your stupid bloody name is."

"Sure thing, ginger… wait, I-I, _what_?" James' eyes widened, as he suddenly understood exactly what she'd said. He backed off immediately, raising his hands up in defence.

Lily's green eyes narrowed. "You heard me. You even so much as brush up against me and I'll-,"

With that, Remus quickly intercepted, literally and figuratively. He darted in between the two, his smile looking a little worn on his face. "Well, James... Now you've met our new manager, Lily Evans. She's one of the brightest and best."

He turned towards Lily, an apologetic smile tugging at his lips. "Um… and you've met James Potter," he paused, then gesturing to the rest of the band. "And there's Peter and that one over there's Sirius."

His eyes darted between a bewildered looking James who was staring at Lily with an incredulous look on his face and a ferocious looking Lily who was glaring at James as though she could set him on fire simply through pure willpower. "Uh…welcome to The Marauders."


End file.
